It’s not only sad but damaging to children that today’s culture actually encourages children NOT to work. While labor laws initially were established to protect youth from abusive situations of being overworked, the pendulum has swung way too far and now we have a society where young adults are actually expected not to work until they graduate from college (and often hindered if they should try to do so).
Don’t misunderstand; I am parenting my three daughters with the hope (and many prayers) that they will desire to be keepers at home. But there are plenty of reasons for encouraging daughters (and sons) to have an entrepreneurial spirit.
- Until God provides them with a spouse, they need to be busy learning, serving, and being productive in their community, church, and home.
- Someday, they may need to have skills to help their husbands. Learning how to tackle new challenges will go a long way in preparing them to be flexible and conquer unfamiliar challenges in the future. We usually don’t know what trade their spouse will be involved in and God just might use this time to specifically train your daughter for that skill!
- Being self-employed usually allows youth to work from home. This gives them an oppotunity to face challenges from the outside world, yet still be parented and trained by mom and dad when tough situations arise.
- Typically, an entrepreneurial spirit encourages children to learn skills they might otherwise find little opportunity to nurture, such as creativity, initiative, leadership, perseverance, problem-solving, time management, financial skills, people skills, and business management skills (just to name a few!).
- It’s important that they understand the value of a dollar and the amount of work required to earn it. Otherwise they might not appreciate how hard their husbands work to provide. A young lady who knows how difficult it is to earn a dollar will be much better at managing money than one who has never had to earn a wage of any kind (and I’m not talking about an allowance). She will think twice before spending the family income frivolously!
- Many may need to work from home at some point during their lifetime once they are married in order to supplement their husband’s income. Today’s economy is tight, but it might get tighter! Already knowing how to start and run a home-based business will be extremely valuable.
Still not sure about daughters starting a home based business? Remember, the Proverbs 31 woman? She beautifully expressed an entrepreneurial spirit while serving her family. Verse 16, “She considers a field and buys it” is followed closely by verse 18, “She senses that her gain is good” (gain is often translated “merchandise” and a word study shows this to mean “a gain from merchandise”). And then there is verse 24, “She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies belts to the tradesmen”. The Proverbs 31 woman’s focus was the home, but she had a good business sense about her in order to supplement the needs of her family.
Be sure that your daughter understands the difference between having a home based business and a career. While they are still in their early teen years a discussion should take place so that they know the distinction between the two! While a home based business can be fun and rewarding, the focus still remains on the family and it’s members with the business nurturing the needs of the family which always remains as the priority. However, the focus of a career is the job itself and the person who is involved in it. The family must sacrifice for the demands of the business.
Many times we send our daughters mixed messages that exasperate and confuse them. Constantly asking “What do you want to be when you grow up?” often causes girls to think that they need to give an answer that is worthy of what the world values as important (and often is in contradiction to Biblical values). Be sure that you’re not undermining your own value system and that you’re passing along the principles that you intend!
Ideas for Small Home-Based Businesses for Youth
Selling Eggs for Profit
• Growing cutting flowers, such as zinnias and sunflowers can be fun for many girls. Be sure to plant them in succession so your flowers are productive for as long as possible.
• For those who have chickens, caring for hens and selling the eggs is in high demand!
• Selling extra produce is a great idea for those who like to garden. Take advantage of farmer’s markets or an honor stand in front of the house if you live in a good location for traffic.
• If you live in a rural area, many people would love to have help cleaning stalls and barns or a service that would come in and do this for them. While it might not be the most pleasant job, there would always be plenty of work!
• Making jellies, jams, granolas, breads, and other home baked goodies to sell at a local farmers markets would be ideal for some girls.
• Start a soup business where twice a week you make soup to sell for people who want a quick, healthy meal. Sell it at the farmer’s market in the summers. This is a great help for families without children at home and older adults who might not cook a big pot of soup just for themselves. Packaging it for the freezer is an added bonus as they can buy more than one and save part of it for later.
• No one can be at home 365 days a year and having a pet sitting service or animal care service is always needed – especially during holidays when people travel. Animals needing special care make it especially hard to leave home. Have your child apprentice with someone to learn about various animals such as goats, pigs, horses, etc.
• Light yard work or gardening is something that girls can do. Many people need extra help weeding vegetable gardens, watering plants, pruning or deadheading flowers.
• Young ladies have so much energy! Why not turn those housekeeping skills into profit? Form a two or three person team and they could be in and out in no time. I know two sisters that did this and they were in high demand.
• I also know a couple of girls who have an ironing business. Their mother helps pick up and deliver the items and they have regular customers.
• Greatly needed is someone who can care for older adults with meals and light cleaning, getting out of bed in the morning, and making sure they take their medication. It’s a good way to serve those who are often overlooked in our communities. And if they can spend the night with a widow once in a while, especially following a surgery or procedure, it can give family members and the elderly great comfort.
• Tutoring, helping with homeschooling, and even teaching is not only profitable, but an excellent way to gain valuable experience for motherhood! My oldest daughter has even made money teaching computer skills to older adults.
• If your daughter is skilled in a particular area, such as the piano, have her start offering beginners lessons. It will not only reinforce her own basic skills, but it will also give her great experience working with young students (and sometimes older!).
Caring for Animals as a Home-Based Business
- Some jobs may be seasonal, but great opportunities, none-the-less. The true entrepreneur will catch the fever and begin dreaming up all kinds of business ventures to keep them going all year round, some of which may be a bit outlandish! Rather than out right squashing an idea, try asking questions that require them to think through the process and consider the ins and outs in a realistic fashion.
Be sure to discuss beforehand, what your requirements and restrictions will be with your child. For example, if they are really young, you may require that they only work for families you personally know, but as they get older, you might choose to expand those boundaries. And while you’re at it, this is a great time to review the Biblical principal of tithing and saving as well as budgeting!
Children will need to get the word out… a flyer works well and is necessary for community and church bulletin boards, car windows, door-to-door, and even for friends. And thanks to technology, inexpensive business cards are easy and affordable to print. Somehow a business card really motivates youth… I think it validates their service or skill in their mind as a genuine business and worthy of their best.
Finally, we have always required our daughters to include some type of volunteer work along with the paying jobs. In keeping with Biblical principals, they need to serve those who can’t serve themselves or afford to pay for a service they really need. Teaching this balance between working for pay and serving those in need is another important aspect of being an entrepreneur!
Opportunities abound for those who are willing. With a little guidance and help along the way, an entrepreneurial spirit can flourish in your daughter and she’ll reap much more than financial rewards.
